Rail-punching machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES L. KOPLIN, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

RAlL-PUNCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,597, dated October 18, 1887.

(X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES L. KOPLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Rockford, county of W'innebago, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Press-Punches,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to joining the rails in railroad-tracks.

In the construction of railroads and in their repairs parts of rails are required in many instances to connect whole-length rails or other parts of rails to make or to produce a continuous track, and such parts of rails are usually cut from rails or parts of rails to the required length, preferably on the ground or at the place where wanted, and the parts so cut to the required length are at one or both ends minus the holes in the Vertical web of the rail to receive the bolts employed to fix the fishplates in place on the meeting ends of the rail. To produce the required bolt-holes in the vertical web of the end portions of such rails or parts of rails to receive the bolts to fix the fishplates in place thereon, and to formlike holes in the vertical web of railroad-rails at any point for any purpose ,is the object of this inventlon.

To this end I have designed and constructed the apparatus represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an isometrical representation of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section lengthwise of the screw-punch. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on dotted line a, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents the handle end portion of the lever, and Fig. 5 is an isometrical representation of the die.

The frame portion 1 of my improved punching apparatus is preferably of the semicircular arching form shown, and its crowning portion is produced with a handle, 2, as a con venience in handling. The lower edge of the the frame 1 is formed with a central opening, 3, to span the upper portion of the rail, and recesses 4 are formed in the lower edge portions of the opening to rest on the foot-flanges 5 ofthe rail. Astrengthening-rib, 6, is formed on the side edges of the central opening on opposite sides of the frame, and their ends connect with the jaw portion 7 and 8 on opposite sides of the central opening.

A die, 9, having an outer conformation to engage the vertical web of the rail between its foot-flange and its crowning tread portion to make it self-centering, is centered on the inner face of the jaw 7 by means of a boss,10, projecting from its rear face, which enters a countersinloopening formed centrally in the inner face of the jaw, and a pin, 11, passed transversely through the jaw and through a side opening in the boss, serves to hold it in place in a removable manner.

The die 9 is provided with a central opeir ing, 12, having its axial center to coincide with the axial center of the opening 13, extending through the jaw. The opening 12 in the face portion of the die is of less diameter than the diameter of its rear portion, 14, or of the opening 13, extending through the jaw, which enlargements give freedom to the passage of the cores forced through the die, a

screw, 15, having a screw-threaded connection with the jaw 8 in the same axial line with the axis of opening 12 in the die.

A punch, 16, is journaled in the axial center of the inner end of the screw 15 in such a manner that its shoulder portion shall engage the end of the screw, and, preferably, that the end of its journal portion 17 shall engage the bottom of its axial bearing, and a pin, 18, passed through the screw, to enter the annular groove 19, formed in thejournal portion 17, serves to hold it in place in a removable manner and permit a rotation of the screw independent of the punch.

The free end 20 of the punch is reduced to the size of the centralopening, 12, in the die, and the axial center of its free end is made with a conic center, 30, projecting therefrom to enter a conic depression formed in the web of the rail to fix its location. The outer head end, 21, of the screw is of greater diameter than its screw-threaded portion, and radial grooves 22 are formed in its periphery at proper intervals, and extend in the direction of its axis. A lever, 23, is bored at one end to receive the head of the screw, and its inner face is fitted with aspring-actuated detent, 24, to enter the radial grooves in the screw-head to cause it to conform to the movements of the lever.

A thumb-lever, 25, is pivoted to the handle portion of the lever, and a rod, 26, connects tersink depression in its web portion.

29, to hold it against the withdrawal of the punch, and to swing outward to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, to permit the apparatus to be placed in position on the rail and to be removed therefrom.

In the use of my improved punch the position of the hole to be punched is marked in the web of the rail by a countersink depression, preferably produced by a center punch and hammer. The punching apparatus is then placed in such position on the rail that the conic center of the punch will enter the coun- Then the screw is turned by means of the lever, which forces the punch through the web of the rail. The hinged detents 27 are then turned on their hinged connections to their solid-line position to hold the rail against the withdrawal of the punch, which is accomplished by a reverse movement of the lever to with; draw the screw, and when the detents are turned on their hinge-connections to their dotted-line position to permit the apparatus to be shifted to another position on the rail or to be removed therefrom.

I claim as my invention- 1. A press-punch frame, substantially as shown and described, having a central opening to receive the rail, strengthening-ribs on the inner edge of the central opening, and the lower inner corners of the jaws of the opening recessed to receive the foot-flange of the rail, substantially as and for the purpose set'forth.

2. The combination, with a jaw of a frame, substantially as shown and described, of a perforated die having a removable connection with the jaw, said die having an external conformation to engage the web of the rail and made self-centering in connection therewith, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a frame provided with a recess adapted to receive a rail, of a perforated die 'removably secured to a jaw of said frame, a screw-press adapted to operate in the jaw opposite said die, and a punch removably located in the inner end of said screw-press, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a frame provided with a recess to receive the rail and admit of a transverse movement of the frame when in position thereon, said frame being further provided with movable detents to lock the frame against lateral movement, of a removable die seated in onejaw of the frame, a punch seated in the opposite jaw of the frame, and means for operating the punch, substantially as set forth. Y

5. The combination, with the screw-punch and with its jaw-support, of hinged detentscapable of a swinging movement on their hinged connection with thejaw, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES L. KOPLIN;

Witnesses:

J A0013 BEHEL, A. O. BEI-IEL. 

